Tigers On Top

We’ve been having some Internet issues over here–it gets moody every couple weeks–hence the absence. The Tygs are now back on the road and the winning has resumed. Funny how that works, isn’t it?

The Tygs won 9-6 against the evil White Sox at New Comiskey, pecking the Sox to death with a succession of what the Chicago announcers frustratedly termed, “Duck farts.” It was most gratifying to hear the mounting annoyance in their voices–I don’t think there is a team of announcers I dislike more than the ones for the White Sox. I’m okay with homers, I mean, no one can say that Mario and Rod are totally unbiased, or my hometown A’s or Giants broadcast teams. But I’ve never heard anyone root so blatantly on the air as the White Sox guys. I very much enjoy seeing them unhappy, which I suppose is pretty bad for my karma.

Grandy had another great night, falling just a triple short of the cycle. And who knows, if that double hadn’t gone in the stands, maybe he’d have been a double short instead. He blasted the first pitch of the game into the stands for a leadoff homer, how crazy wondrous is that? Grandy, basically, can do no wrong, as far as I’m concerned.

Andrew Miller didn’t have the best night, but he kept us in it, which is in the end what you want your pitcher to do. And he did strike out seven. Our bullpen was pretty solid, and my boy Jonesy showed the delightful Strike Machine side of his personality in the ninth. One, two, three, you’re done.

While the White Sox announcers picked Fields as the player of the game (wow, what a shocker), I think the night truly belonged to Mike Hessman. A career minor leaguer, he just got brought up to play first when Casey needs a night off while Marcus is hurt. (Timo Perez was sent back down.) Hessman’s basically been tearing it up, not necessarily with his average but with power. With Toledo, he’s got something like 27 homers and 86 RBI. That’s a year. A good one. And we’re only in July. He richly deserved his call-up, and it was exceedingly gratifying to watch him go 2 for 4 with the game-tying and eventual game-winning RBI. His was the most wonderful duck fart of all–a seventh inning gork to right with the bases loaded and two out.

Today (actually right now) the Tigers will engage the ChiSox in a doubleheader, with Bondo pitching game one and Virgil Vasquez pitching game two. Kinda thinking we need to win game one. The Tygs so far took a 1-0 lead in the first but then Bondo had a typically unhappy bottom half of the first. Luckily only two runs scored; it could have been worse, eh? And now we’re out of it, so it’s time for Bondo to shut ‘em out the rest of the way.